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Clemenger tops Mumbrella Awards as axed Pandora staff win Sales Team of the Year and crowd ovation

The commercial team at streaming music service Pandora was named sales team of the year at last night’s Mumbrella Awards, just days after receiving the devastating news that the company would be closing its Australian operations.

The Pandora team accepted their award to a standing ovation from the audience of nearly 1000 people at the Star Event Centre in Sydney, with commercial director Chris Freel reminding the room that his entire team is “really employable at the moment.”

Pandora accepting Sales Team of the Year

The announcement triggered wild celebrations in Pandora’s awards suite before the entire team took the stage to make their final appearance before the industry.

The moment the Pandora team found out they had won:

During an impromptu acceptance speech, Freel said: “It’s been a bitter sweet week. A lot of stuff has happened in the last few days. I woke up in Cannes on Friday morning to find out that our company is not going to exist in Australia and New Zealand any more, which is a damn shame because we’ve built up a really good brand and a really good team.”

The Pandora office will be closing within the month, with the service closing to Australian subscribers over the next few weeks too.

Clemenger BBDO Melbourne was the big winner at the annual awards, held on Thursday at Sydney’s Star Event Centre, picking up five trophies including Creative Agency of the Year and Agency of the Year.

Clemenger also picked up Ad Campaign of the Year for its Boys campaign for Bonds, Best Use of Real-Time Marketing for its Myer Catwalk to Cart campaign, and Mumbrella Award for Bravery for its Meet Graham campaign.

The Monkeys was another success on the night, picking up Independent Agency of the Year, Full Service Agency of the Year, and TV Ad of the Year for Spring Lamb for Meat & Livestock Australia.

A new award for Best Use of Face to Face/Interaction Marketing went to HCF Hands On, a campaign credited to WE Buchan, Match Media, Momentum, AnalogFolk, One Green Bean and Holiday.

Full list of Mumbrella Award winners 2017:

Best Use of User Experience

Winner: Hearing Test in Disguise, CHE Proximity for Cochlear

This campaign saw a film created which gave people different outcomes depending on how badly their hearing had deteriorated, with the six-minute piece charting a couple’s relationship shown before the film Lion at cinemas nationwide.

The jury described it as a “beautiful execution”, adding: “CHE Proximity took the taboo subject of hearing loss and married the insight of emotion to create a truly moving and remarkable campaign.”

Mumbrella Award for Innovation

Winner: The Riderless Bike, Finch, Havas and Red Agency for The Steve Waugh Foundation

The challenge put to Red Agency was: “How do you create awareness for a charity bike ride in an otherwise cluttered category?” The answer was far from simple – create a riderless child’s bike to join the ride, live streaming it along the way, to give a voice and presence for the kids the celebrity riders are raising money for.

The judges said the campaign achieved “clear cut through in a cluttered charity sector“, adding: “They took on something that was clearly not possible at the time and made it possible.”

Mumbrella Award for Data-Driven Marketing

Winner: Acquisition to advocacy through cross-channel personalised lifecycle, Switched on Media for Nude by Nature

This campaign saw Switched on Media solve a huge issue for beauty brand Nude by Nature: how to attract and retain more customers online and make the path to purchase more efficient.

By analysing a raft of customer data, the team was able to segment and target consumers across different categories and channels, nearly doubling transactions on the site and tripling direct sales, and halving the time between first and second purchases.

The judges said: “They have created a digital platform that will drive Nude by Nature’s business for years to come.”

Best Use of Real-Time Marketing

Winner: Catwalk to Cart, Clemenger BBDO Melbourne for Myer

Catwalk to Cart saw Clemenger BBDO Melbourne make the world of catwalk fashion show more accessible than ever before, creating a way for fashionistas attending shows to immediately shop for the styles they were seeing on the catwalk from Myer.

The experience was personalised for each show attendee, with different zones triggered manually by staff ensuring a perfect experience. It led to a 40% sales uplift for the brand.

The jury described the solution as “world beating” adding: “It cracked a different business challenge in an engaging, highly personalised way. The commitment to ensure each sector received an equivalent experience was outstanding in its execution.”

Best Use of Face to Face/Interaction Marketing

Winner: HCF Hands on, WE Buchan; Match Media; Momentum; AnalogFolk; One Green Bean; Holiday for HCF

This activation for health fund HCF came from a partnership with the National Breast Cancer Foundation, and the insight that many women did not know how to check their breasts for lumps. So the brand launched nine flagship activations in prime locations across the country, giving them the chance to feel replica breasts, some healthy and others with symptoms that needed checking.

This was supported by intimate Q&A sessions with healthcare professionals and cancer survivors, while HCF staff were encouraged to get involved in the activations. The campaign delivered huge amounts of eyeballs across channels, and a tangible brand uplift.

The judges described it as “an inspiring and important initiative. Working with people, and then networks, they took it out to the community and made a difference.”

Content Marketing Strategy of the Year

Winner: You’ve Gotta Have a Team, BMF for Football Federation Australia

This multi-channel campaign followed a young boy Yoshi as he searched for the team he should support in the new A-League season. Content created throughout the campaign saw the cheeky and troublesome youngster visiting each of the top-flight clubs, taking on their top players and staff, and creating an engaging and educational experience for fans who had not previously felt engaged with a team.

The campaign was so successful it was even singled out as a contributing factor to the A-League’s TV rights deal.

The judges said: “This was an innovative content marketing campaign that broke all the rules. Great work.”

Marketing Technology Company of the Year

Winner: Playground XYZ

This mobile technology company has already had an impact in the Australian market, helping publishers, brands and agencies reshape and innovate mobile advertising for practically any canvas. They are already working with major brands such as Woolworths while leading publishers like Fairfax are starting to reap rewards because of the technology stack.

The judges said: “Playground XYZ were passionate, innovative and demonstrated solving a market place problem through technology, can help the industry and customers.”

Promo or Experiential Agency of the Year

Winner: Colenso BBDO

Auckland-based advertising powerhouse Colenso BBDO continues to lead the way in the region in terms of delivering brand experiences which create real cut through for their clients, the judges noted.

In the last year, it has helped DB Breweries turn used glass bottles into much needed sand with some custom designed machines which have been picked up in other parts of the world, while the Home Turf campaign helped BNZ engage Crusaders fans both online and in person at matches. This all helped grow agency revenues by 35% in the year by establishing deeper relationships with their clients.

The judges said: “They are truly innovating and changing not only behaviour but the actual world.”

Specialist Agency of the Year

Winner: CHE Proximity

This five-year-old upstart offshoot of the Clemenger Group has come of age over the past 12 months, cementing its position as a leader in data-driven creativity. Allied with a full service media offering, judges were impressed with the breadth of campaign thinking and results demonstrated for clients, as well as an impressive culture in an agency with more than 270 staff in Sydney and Melbourne.

The jury said: “In a robust market they offer a fully fleshed out and clever sighted approach about what can drive business outcomes for clients.”

Emerging Agency of the Year

Winner: Emotive

In many ways it’s hard to believe Emotive has been around for just two years, such has been the content agency’s impact on the local market, the judges said.

A stellar first year was backed up with more innovative campaigns for a steadily growing raft of clients across the board, most notably a series of clever content plays for Optus to leverage their cricket sponsorship over the summer, as well as work for brands including Coca Cola.

One judge said: “Emotive impressed me beyond belief. To have grown a specialist agency from nothing to 27 very happy and talented staff deserves recognition. Their creativity is fearless and their obsession with result has been their key to success.”

Production Company of the Year – TV/Film

Winner: Jungle

The past 12 months have been a golden time for Jungle, a “new breed” of production company which has created some notable new TV shows including Here Come the Habibs for the Nine Network and the improvised scripted comedy series No Activity for streaming service Stan.

That relationship with the online video service was singled out by the judges as moving the company above the competition, as well as the infectious drive and passion staff have for their projects. The company is currently working to adapt Here Come The Habibs for the US market.

The jury singled out the company’s willingness to “challenge the status quo”. They said: “This company has experienced a year of huge expansion and risk-taking initiatives that have taken off. They’ve experimented with new production models and this has paid off with success in the US market.”

Production Company of the Year – Commercial

Winner: Revolver/Will O’Rourke

Revolver/Will O’Rourke has had another stellar year of achievement in both the Australian and international markets. Highlights for the year include creating the already-awarded short film for Cochlear, and Telstra’s huge new brand campaign bringing the magic to life using some clever effects, the judges noted.

The company has also been working hard to get on top of the emerging virtual reality space. It has also continued its overseas expansion shooting more work for Old Spice amongst others.

The jury said: “They are continually setting the standard for creative excellence, innovation of production standards.”

Pro Bono Campaign of the Year

Winner: The Riderless Bike, Finch, Havas and Red Agency for The Steve Waugh Foundation

This was the second award of the night for this innovative piece of work which generated phenomenal amounts of awareness for the Steve Waugh Captain’s Ride, in what is a cluttered market.

The judges said: “It’s great to see strategic thinking, technology and creativity delivering a meaningful benefit for charitable organisation.”

TV Ad of the Year

Winner: Spring Lamb, The Monkeys for Meat & Livestock Australia

This is the third year in a row The Monkeys and MLA have created the nation’s favourite TV ad. While this campaign which highlights the lack of diversity on our TV screens may have divided commentators from the left and right, it united a nation, and drove sales too.

Lamb brings people together in new MLA campaign by The Monkeys

Media Campaign of the Year

Winner: Prospan – Don’t Ignore a Cough, AFFINITY for Flordis

This is the second year in a row independent agency Affinity has scooped this award. This work for Prospan focussed on adding relevance to the efficacy claims of the product, by challenging parents not to ignore their children’s coughs and to get help sooner.

To deliver this Affinity created a weather prediction engine to push messages around cold snaps, when people are more likely to contract a cough. This achieved a 27% uplift in sales for the brand, in a category which saw an overall decline over the same period.

The judges said: “This is a beautiful way of using large amounts of data from various online / offline sources. Managing to execute a hyper-targeted campaign at scale. Love the insight work that went into understanding where and how a cough starts and how that correlates with mums’ action.”

Ad Campaign of the Year

Winner: The Boys, Clemenger BBDO Melbourne for BONDS

The Boys have rapidly become a recognisable feature across the nation’s TV screens, billboards and digital channels, raising awareness of a sensitive male issue in a humorous and subtle way, with some incredibly innovative solutions.

The jury said: “This is a great brand platform and we the loved consumer insight and brand tone of voice.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KuQ3nhpctA

Mumbrella Award for Insight

Winner: #Holdtight, TBWA/Melbourne for ANZ

This campaign built on ANZ Bank’s support for the LGBTIQ community in recent years, deepening the brand’s commitment to them. The insight came from the fact that holding hands can mean something very different for a gay couple than it does to a straight couple, with more than half uncomfortable holding hands in public.

The campaign featured messages delivered through film and wearable technology, amongst other channels, delivering 27 million impressions on Facebook.

The jury said: “The insight that everyday people are unaware of the dangers of the gay community face when holding hands lead to a powerful campaign that is borderless.”

The Mumbrella Award for Bravery

Winner: Meet Graham, Clemenger BBDO Melbourne for TAC

This unusual and impactful campaign for the Transport and Accident Commission in Victoria saw Clemenger BBDO Melbourne eschew the traditional route of hard-hitting TV ads for a live activation. Created by an artist in consultation with scientists, Graham is a life-sized representation of what a human would look like if we had evolved to cope with road smashes. The approach gained worldwide attention and acres of press coverage, garnering huge awareness.

The jury said: “In a world of ads and sameness, Graham was a smart clever idea that was executed brilliantly. Very brave work that genuinely made a difference.”

Mumbrella Award for Collaboration

Winner: Mobilizing a Country: Relaunching Onecard, Red Jelly, Affinity ID NZ, Mindshare NZ and Countdown Supermarkets

This campaign challenged brands and agency partners to seamlessly merge two of New Zealand’s largest loyalty schemes, with supermarket chain Countdown’s Onecard and AA Smartfuel joining forces.

While the offering was complex, it needed to be communicated in a simple way, with Tasmanian-based creative agency Red Jelly working with Mindshare and Affinity ID as well as the Countdown team to create a brand platform to stand out in the cluttered marketplace. Regular flights across the Tasman and technology were used to keep communications regular between them all. The launch was a success and now a quarter of all Kiwis carry and use the Onecard on a regular basis.

Sales Team of the Year

Winner: Pandora

The past year has seen US-based music streaming service Pandora grow its revenues by 60%, thanks in large part to clever initiatives by its sales and marketing teams to help raise awareness of the category in and outside the industry. These included innovative partnerships with brands including Nescafé and Holden jumping on board.

They also teamed up with their biggest rivals for a roadshow event, Unrivalled, to educate the market on the benefits of streaming, while they entered the experiential scene with Pandora Warehouse, and in-store radio partnerships with Woolworths and BWS.

The jury said: “Pandora worked with their biggest competitor to grow their category and showed real evidence of commercially successful innovations for their partners.”

Social Idea of the Year
Winner: The Cognitive Collection, Ogilvy Australia for IBM

While IBM is a well-known brand, it faces the challenge that most users will never see a tangible product, despite reaping benefits from its cognitive computer system Watson.

To counter this problem Ogilvy, decided to make Watson take on the fashion industry with The Cognitive Collection, a fashion line created from data insights gained by Watson from social conversations and hundreds of thousands of images. These were then showcased in social posts throughout Melbourne Spring Fashion Week, reaching 4.2m people.

Media Brand of the Year

Winner: Starts at 60

Starts at 60 is a brand which continues to push boundaries and change industry perceptions about how to target the mature market, putting digital innovation at its heart and growing revenues by two thirds over the judging period, and adding 50% more staff.

While the brand is digital at its core and one of the top seniors brand in the country, it has also held more than 500 community events encouraging readers to network in person. A new sub-brand Travels at 60 launched in late 2016 and is generating millions of dollars per month in travel leads for partners.

Under-30 Achiever of the Year

Winner: Jemma Wong, Manager of Brand Strategy, AFL

Jemma is one of the driving forces behind the hugely successful launch of AFL Women’s this year, building the brand strategy, visual identity, content, creative and retail plan and leading a team to bring it to life over 15 months.

The successful launch, with over 1.5m viewers on TV and a sell out for the opening match with 25,000 fans, has helped quickly normalise the female version of AFL in the minds of fans, fundamentally altering perceptions. She is also behind the Girls Who Brand movement, a network for young women in marketing to learn and feel more empowered in the industry. She also mentors young homeless people at The Ladder and is a contributing writer for the League of Extraordinary Women.

The jurors described her as a “phenomenal woman creating powerful change for a more positive future” adding: “Jemma has nailed it professionally and personally. Outstanding attitude, professionalism, thinking, approach and style.”

Industry Leader of the Year
Winner: Kimberlee Wells, CEO, TBWA\Melbourne

Kimberlee is one of Australia’s most accomplished creative leaders, who in the past couple of years has overseen the transformation of TBWA Melbourne into a world-class agency with creative, data and tech capabilities at its core, picking up 14 Cannes Lions in the past three years.

Hailed as an ‘inspirational leader’ from some of Omnicom’s top global executives, Kimberlee also has a deep rapport and respect from her clients, who see her as a courageous and engaged leader, the jury said.

The judges said: “Inspiring in the true sense of the word. Her achievements over the judging period are incredible, both in terms of transformation and results. But overwhelmingly her human concerns are the true measure of her success.”

Marketing Team of the Year

Winner: Sydney Opera House

Driving the brand for one of Australia’s most iconic destinations is no small feat, but in the past year the team at the Sydney Opera House has taken their activities to new levels and driven a true digital transformation throughout the business. This has helped them to drive record audiences and revenues for some of Australia’s biggest and most significant cultural events.

The team is not afraid to experiment with new technologies to enhance the experience of its followers, from virtual reality experiences to live-streamed concerts and innovative installations which get people talking, sharing and most importantly visiting.

The judges said: “A marketing team that delivered and designed a digital transformation project and journey with outstanding results and business outcome. Further, a team that clearly love doing what they do.”

Mumbrella Award for Culture

Winner: OMD

This is the second year in a row OMD, one of Australia’s biggest media agencies with over 500 employees, has scooped this coveted award. The agency builds its culture by encouraging staff to ‘be the best you can be’, putting a real focus on internal promotion and a retention strategy which includes continuous training for all staff with a budget of nearly $1m.

Led by CEO Aimee Buchanan, and with a high proportion of women in management roles, the agency puts a clear focus on diversity awareness and helping women return to work after having children. That culture has translated to impressive new business results to boot, the jury noted.

The jury said: “They have everything covered. The passion and the culture was clear and inspiring. The team’s enthusiasm has moulded by their progressive process and superb results.”

Independent Agency of the Year

Winner: The Monkeys

The past 12 months has seen more truly iconic work come out of The Monkeys’ headquarters in Surry Hills. From challenging Australian cultural norms with its work for Meat & Livestock Australia, to confronting truths about saving and investing using people suffering from terminal illness for UBank, their work has been some of the most talked about and shared ever.

This is the last time the agency will be eligible for this award, having been acquired by Accenture earlier this year.

The judges said: “The Monkeys have had a remarkable year, their representation of iconic Aussie brands does us proud.“

Full Service Agency of the Year

Winner: The Monkeys

This is the second Agency of the Year award of the evening for The Monkeys, who continue to help set the standard in the Australian industry.

Over the past year the agency has built out its media capabilities to help deliver more integrated campaigns for clients including Blackmores, University of Sydney and UBank, using earned, owned and paid media channels to push brand messages.

The jury said: “The Monkeys here demonstrated a fully integrated and full-service approach to their clients. Outstanding element of the campaign was their ability to really show a commitment from the client’s brand starting to care about people and their audience.”

PR Agency of the Year

Winner: Red Agency

The past year has seen Havas-owned Red Agency power ahead of its local competitors, picking up a string of accolades locally and internationally for innovative work that has had a real impact for clients. While the world of PR continues to evolve, work like the Riderless Bike and Heineken’s Summer in Winter events shows the agency thinks across platforms and solutions. It has also scooped some of Australia’s biggest PR accounts.

The judges said: “Red has breadth and depth across their work and all other elements. A stellar year for an agency who are very clear who they are and what they stand for as a brand and business.”

Media Agency of the Year

Winner: PHD

The last 12 months has been a real coming of age for one of the most consistent performers in the Australian media agency scene, PHD. Numerous new client wins included Volkswagen, Google and GSK, adding $240m in billings to its business. It has also impressed with the innovative work for the likes of Streets and Google, building new technology and pursuing solutions to help brands connect to its audience above a paid media strategy. A commitment to transparent business practices meant a client retention rate of 98%, while its staff were the “happiest in a media agency in Australia” according to last year’s Media I survey.

The Judges praised their “authentic energy and enthusiasm” and said: “It’s unusual to see clients apparently love an agency but this is what was evident at PHD. The client comments provided at the presentation were unparalleled and a stand out. And that’s coupled with incredible staff engagement – clearly the most cohesive and engaged team of all we saw.”

Creative Agency of the Year

Winner: Clemenger BBDO Melbourne

 

Agency of the Year

Winner: Clemenger BBDO Melbourne

The last 12 months have seen one of Australia’s creative powerhouses transform its business into a genuine cross-channel creative force to rival any in the world.

Clever work for such as The Boys for Bonds and Graham for the TAC was spliced in with sublime digital executions for the likes of Myer, which drove tangible results measured in real-time.

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